Malls of Tomorrow Will Be Less Big Box, More Lifestyle, and Play Well With E-Commerce Too
November 14, 2019 | Kate Bowers | Fortune.com
Fourteen miles outside of Boston, the ground floor of what was a Sears at Burlington Mall has been stripped down to the steel. Renovations scheduled to finished in summer 2020 will transform the space into a “streetscape” of smaller stores and restaurants facing out on to dining patios and a one-acre park. (Consumers who aren’t keen on harsh weather need not worry, the interior connecting hallways will remain open.) The rest of the mall is evolving too, getting a ride-sharing waiting room, a media lounge, and a kids’ play area that will also have party rooms.
In its transition, Burlington Mall is emblematic of many suburban malls across the U.S. The old indoor aquariums, with their long corridors and national chain stores behind large glass windows, are being reworked to let in more daylight and provide more services.
“It’s about placemaking,” said Francis Scire Jr., senior vice president with New York-based O’Connor Capital Partners, which has developed or acquired $25 billion worth of property. “People have so much stimulation in their daily life that they want to be enticed into an experience that feels curated and thoughtful.”
